Like Marathon, Thermopylae, Plateau and Mycale roughly 2,500 years ago, Western freedom again depends on Greece. Today Washington and its empire of European vassal states are playing the part of the Persian Empire, and belatedly the Greeks have formed a government, Syriza, that refuses to submit to the Washington Empire.

Few people understand that the fate of Western liberty, what remains of it, is at stake in the conflict, and, indeed, the fate of life on earth. Certainly the German government does not understand. Sigmar Gabriel, a German vice-chancellor, has declared the Greek government to be a threat to the European order. What he means by the "European order" is the right of the stronger countries to loot the weaker ones.

The "Greek crisis" is not about debt. Debt is the propaganda that the Empire is using to subdue sovereignty throughout the Western world.

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The Greek government asked the collection of nations that comprise the "democratic" European Union for one week's extension on the debt in order for the Greek people to give their approval or disapproval of the harsh terms being imposed on Greece by the EU commission, the EU Central Bank, and the IMF with Washington's insistence.

The answer from Europe and the IMF and Washington was "NO."

The Greek government was told that democracy doesn't apply when creditors are determined to make Greek citizens pay for the creditors' mistakes with reduced pensions, reduced health care, reduced education, reduced employment, and reduced social services. The position of the Empire is that the Greek people are responsible for the mistakes of their foreign creditors, and the Greek people must pay for their creditors' mistakes, especially those mistakes enabled by Goldman Sachs.

As has been proven conclusively, the Empire's claim is false. The austerity measures that have been imposed on Greece have driven down the economy by 27%, thus increasing the ratio of debt to GDP and worsening the financial situation of Greece. All austerity has accomplished is to drive the Greek people further into the ground, thus making debt repayment impossible.

The Empire rejected Greece's democratic referendum next Sunday, because the Empire doesn't believe in democracy. The Empire, like all empires, believes in subservience. Greece is not being subservient. Therefore, Greece must be punished. The Persians Darius and Xerxes had the same view as Washington and the EU. The Greek government is supposed to do what previous Greek governments have done, accept a pay-off and allow Greece to be looted.

Looting is the only way left for the Western financial system to make money. In pursuit of short-term profits, western corporations, encouraged and coerced by the financial sector, have moved offshore western industry, manufacturing, and professional skills such as information technology and software engineering. All that remains for the West are highly leveraged derivative bets and looting. Apple is an American corporation, but not a single Apple computer is made in the US.

The German, French, and Dutch governments, together with Washington and the western financial system, have come down in favor of looting. For a country to be looted, its people's voice must be silenced. This is why the Germans and the EU object to the Greek government handing the ability to decide the future of Greece to the Greek people.

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In other words, in the West today, the sovereignty of peoples and accountability of governments are inconsistent with the financial interests of the One Percent who control the financial and political order.

To conclude: If democracy can be destroyed in Greece, it can be destroyed throughout Europe.

The Greek people not only hold in their hands the fate of democracy in the West, but also the fate of life on earth. Washington's mechanism for creating conflict with Russia is the EU and NATO. By violating agreements made by previous US governments, Washington has brought NATO to Russia's borders and is currently deploying more troops, armaments, and missiles on Russia's borders, all the while speaking aggressively toward Russia.

Russia has no alternative but to target these insensible military deployments. As military deployments rise and the irresponsible and totally inaccurate Western propaganda against Russia and Russia's government escalate, war can launch itself.

Clearly Washington and its vassal states have eschewed diplomacy and instead use demonization and attempted coercion to force Russia to accede to the Empire's will.

Dr. Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury for Economic Policy in the Reagan Administration. He was associate editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal, columnist for Business Week and the Scripps Howard News Service. He is a contributing editor to Gerald Celente's Trends Journal. He has had numerous university appointments. His books, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West is available (more...)